In Which Riona Is Warned

January 10, 1174

Riona's heart beat in a leaping rhythm as she peered around the wall. She'd suspected that at least one of the travelers was still awake, and to her great relief it was the one she'd been hoping to catch. Not that creepy Sir Domingo. Not that smug one with the long hair or the one with the unnerving eyes and the ugly scars. Not even the pretty pretty one--the almost too pretty one--who would have been her second choice. Just... him. What's-his-face. Her favorite.

Grinning, she slipped into the room and launched herself onto the couch. He jumped; she laughed. "Hello."

"Hello yourself." He had such a cute voice--soft, gentle, yet masculine. She could have listened to him chatter all day had she been the sort of person who could keep from talking long enough to do so. "It's Riona, right?"

She nodded. "And your name--?"

"Casimiro." His features were not so refined as his brother's--indeed, he was a little goofy-looking--but somehow, that only made her want to look at him more. It was a face with character, even if the boy himself seemed meek and shy. For now, she corrected herself. She'd always heard it was the quiet ones one had to look out for. "Nice to meet you."

"You likewise." Riona flipped her hair back and beat her lashes. She usually wasn't one for such gestures--she preferred to get straight to the point--but Hilla and Rona always used them to such spectacular effect. "A pity we won't have time to get to know each other, though. Will you be heading back this way when you return from your crusade?"

Casimiro shrugged. It wasn't a flattering motion unless it was coming from him. "Not sure. Depends on which way my uncle wants to head back, I suppose. I don't know if your father will be keen to host us again, though."

"I'll talk some sense into him." He chuckled. It was a pleasant sort of laugh--simple, yet startling. "Anyway, that must be so exciting--crusading."

"Eh." Another shrug. God, how did he pull it off? Maybe she'd been wrong to dismiss that gesture as sloppy. "I'm only going because my uncle promised me some payment, to be honest. My mother and stepfather could use the money."

Oh... so he had a cause too? Not just some random blood-lust disguised as religious fervor? "That's very noble of you."

"Oh, well..." And modest too? What a lightning strike. Sure, he was quiet... but all things considered... "Uh, I don't know about that... oh, hello, cousin."

"Casimiro." It was a voice so unlike that of its kin--a muttering, hissing sort of voice, the type that betrayed one as someone who would have preferred to never speak at all and had only bile to spit forth when they did. The hairs on the back of Riona's neck pricked as she turned to see Domingo's son standing behind her, his hair loose, wearing nothing but a pair of dark slacks. At least his chest was a distraction from his face. "Why the hell are you still awake?"

"I just couldn't sleep." Casimiro's face was apologetic--not that Riona could see why his cousin deserved it. "Did I wake you when I got up?"

"No. The walls are so thin that your brothers' snoring did the trick. But I figured I'd better come and find you, seeing as I don't want to be dragging your sorry carcass around all day tomorrow."

Casimiro smirked. "Ah, Is, it wouldn't necessarily be you dragging me around."

"It would." His eyes lingered on Casimiro for a moment, then flitted instead to Riona. A coat of cold sweat oozed from the flesh of her palms. Those eyes were so sharp that the scar between them nearly paled. "As for you, girl, I thought your father told you to go to bed."

Riona scowled. What right did this prick have to tell her what to do? Who the hell did he think he was? "My father is not the boss of me--and neither are you."

She half-expected him to lunge at her in outrage, but he only snorted and made his way toward the hearth. There was something oddly transfixing about the way he moved. She found himself staring as though observing some volatile beast from the mock-safety of a nearby bush; she should have figured it was only a matter of time before he noticed. "If you must stare, could you at least be subtle about it? I have to put up with enough dumbstruck gawking as it is."

Casimiro sighed. "Isidro..."

"None of your bullshit, Cas. It's true and you know it." He shot a warning glare his cousin's way, one that Casimiro heeded. Again, his eyes left and landed on Riona; again, she shivered. "Just go to bed, all right? Both of you."

"No." Isidro raised an eyebrow; secretly triumphant, Riona rose to her feet and strode right up to him. He was even shorter than she'd thought. She'd probably be just as tall one day. "You go to bed. We were having a nice conversation before you showed up, and I'd like to finish it."

To her annoyance, he only shrugged. He also pulled it off--somehow--but not in the cute way Casimiro had managed. Isidro was anything but cute. "I don't see why your conversation is my problem. Just go to bed; trust me, you'll be better off."

"And why should I take that advice from you?" She heard Casimiro moan behind her, but she didn't care. Someone had to stand up to this bully, and from the sounds of it, it wasn't about to be him. "What gives you all the answers, anyway? The fact that my sister is taller than you? The fact that you're rude enough to walk around without a shirt in someone else's castle? The fact that you've got a big ugly scar on your big ugly face and no woman is ever going to go near you if you don't hand her a big ugly bag of money first?"

"Riona!" From the sounds of it, Casimiro's hand had hit his forehead. Maybe she should have been gentler for his sake. She hadn't considered that he might actually like his cousin--really, she didn't see why anyone would.

But for all Casimiro's reaction, Isidro only stared. "Are you done?"

"As done as I'll ever be, Scarface."

Isidro sniffed. "How original of you."

Bastard. How dare he mock her. So much for making use of the evening. "You almost make me want to go to bed--if only to get away from you."

"Good." He waved his hand in the direction of the corridor. "Now run along."

Insufferable. How was a man like Casimiro related to this piece of filth? It just didn't make any sense. "Why should I?"

Shaking his head, he stared past her and turned his piercing gaze onto Casimiro; was it strange that she wanted to stand in its path? "I take it your conversation didn't cover what happened the last time my father caught a girl wandering the halls at night."

She heard Casimiro sigh again. Shame--he didn't seem like the sort of man who sighed. "Isidro..."

"No, Casimiro, she deserves the warning." Isidro placed his hand on her shoulder and lowered himself to her eye level, the curve of his thumb resting against the neck of her nightgown. His touch was cold and warm at the same time and she didn't know what to do with that. "Look. Riona. Go to your room. Go to your room, lock the door, and go to sleep. Please."

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